Nice to see: Younger Ferentz in Trouble Again

[StewieGopherFan]

Iowa is in trouble again.. Looks like the coach is going to have to kick his own kid off the team.



http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten

 

[ncgo4]

This isn't "nice to see". This is a young man that got into trouble and is never nice to see. I hate this team just like you do, but I want to beat the crap out of them on the court and field, not win because their players are in jail. We're better than that.

 

[Governor Sibley]

That's a shame.

 

[gopherguy05]

The coaches son....arrested twice in 6 months...

Yep. No problems down in Iowa City. Real strong feeling of "community" down there with that team...

 

[Jike Spingleton]

Aw, nuts.

 

[StewieGopherFan]

This isn't "nice to see". This is a young man that got into trouble and is never nice to see. I hate this team just like you do, but I want to beat the crap out of them on the court and field, not win because their players are in jail. We're better than that.

I think it's hilarious. I'm the same age as this kid, and if you can't stay out of trouble after doing the same thing six months before, you don't deserve to be on the field. If you want to drink, it's easy enough to stay out of trouble if you're underage. Just gives everyone the more reason to poke fun at the hogeyes.

 

[Maximus]

This isn't "nice to see". This is a young man that got into trouble and is never nice to see. I hate this team just like you do, but I want to beat the crap out of them on the court and field, not win because their players are in jail. We're better than that.

They're not going to put the kid away for 12 years because of public intoxication. Hence, "nice to see". They're up to about 22-23 arrests compared to Minnesota's one in the past two years. Certainly won't last...but credit to Brew and his coaching staff.

 

[MplsHawk]

James Ferentz

The coaches son....arrested twice in 6 months...

Yep. No problems down in Iowa City. Real strong feeling of "community" down there with that team...

I could be wrong, and this is picking nits so to speak, but I don't think that James Ferentz has been "arrested" twice. His first offense was a PAULA, and I think those are citations, not arrestable offenses. A PAULA simply means possession of alcohol under the legal age. Probably a half dozen of the "arrests" the last couple of years have been PAULA citations, so underage drinking appears to be an issue.

 

[Handsome Pete]

I could be wrong, and this is picking nits so to speak, but I don't think that James Ferentz has been "arrested" twice. His first offense was a PAULA, and I think those are citations, not arrestable offenses. A PAULA simply means possession of alcohol under the legal age. Probably a half dozen of the "arrests" the last couple of years have been PAULA citations, so underage drinking appears to be an issue.

Way to excuse the deplorable conduct of your football players. And no, having a few beers is not in and of itself "deplorable". However, there have been something like 20 arrests/citations/police incidents with Iowa players over the past few years and the Ferentz kid getting drunk in public AGAIN clearly indicates a severe problem. Kirk Ferentz has no control over his players. His players have zero respect for the law when they have everything to lose and that is deplorable.

 

[MplsHawk]

Petey

Way to excuse the deplorable conduct of your football players. And no, having a few beers is not in and of itself "deplorable". However, there have been something like 20 arrests/citations/police incidents with Iowa players over the past few years and the Ferentz kid getting drunk in public AGAIN clearly indicates a severe problem. Kirk Ferentz has no control over his players. His players have zero respect for the law when they have everything to lose and that is deplorable.

Reading comprehension not your strength Brown-eye Pete? I made no excuses at all. I simply pointed out facts. One of Ferentz's offenses was a PAULA citation, not an arrest. He wasn't intoxicated, he had possession of alcohol when he was (and still is) a minor, and he was caught when he was a passenger in a vehicle. While being a passenger in a vehicle is probably technically "public" in nature, it isn't quite as public as walking around campus with a beer in his hand. Edit: I don't even know that he had an open beer in the vehicle, as that would be an open container violation. He may well have just had an un-opened beer in his "possession" in the vehicle. James Ferentz was not intoxicated AGAIN as you state.

Some of the "police incidents" have been PAULA citations. Those are facts. You can draw your own conclusions about how deplorable it is for a 19 or 20 year old kid to be caught with possession of alcohol. I have already stated that it appears to be an issue--and by "issue" I mean to imply "problem".

As I have stated before, drinking seems to be a big issue with the Iowa football team (and more generally with the Iowa student body) for whatever reason. Lots of students, including football players, in Iowa City are cited for PAULA, arrested for public intox, or arrested for DUI. I don't know the reason why, but it has been that way for decades.

 

[Ski U Master]

With the weekend's shennanigans, Iowa is awarded 5 points and leaps into a tie for first in the Fulmer Cup with Hawaii!

Fulmer Cup Standings
Place | Team | Points
1st Hawaii Warriors 9
1st Iowa Hawkeyes 9
3rd Ball State Cardinals 7
3rd South Carolina Gamecocks 7
5th UAB Blazers 6
5th UCLA Bruins 6
7th Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 5
8th Washington State Cougars 4
8th Mississippi State Bulldogs 4
8th Marshall Thundering Herd 4
8th Pittsburgh Panthers 4
12th Florida State Seminoles 3
12th Oklahoma State Cowboys 3
12th Illinois Fighting Illini 3
12th Arkansas Razorbacks 3
16th Florida Gators 2
16th Ole Miss Rebels 2
16th Virginia Cavaliers 2
16th West Virginia Mountaineers 2
16th Southern Miss Golden Eagles 2
16th Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 2
16th New Mexico Lobos 2
16th Nebraska Cornhuskers 2
24th Troy Trojans 1
24th Oklahoma Sooners 1
24th Penn State Nittany Lions 1

 

[Handsome Pete]

Reading comprehension not your strength Brown-eye Pete? I made no excuses at all. I simply pointed out facts. One of Ferentz's offenses was a PAULA citation, not an arrest. He wasn't intoxicated, he had possession of alcohol when he was (and still is) a minor, and he was caught when he was a passenger in a vehicle. While being a passenger in a vehicle is probably technically "public" in nature, it isn't quite as public as walking around campus with a beer in his hand. Edit: I don't even know that he had an open beer in the vehicle, as that would be an open container violation. He may well have just had an un-opened beer in his "possession" in the vehicle. James Ferentz was not intoxicated AGAIN as you state.

Some of the "police incidents" have been PAULA citations. Those are facts. You can draw your own conclusions about how deplorable it is for a 19 or 20 year old kid to be caught with possession of alcohol. I have already stated that it appears to be an issue--and by "issue" I mean to imply "problem".

As I have stated before, drinking seems to be a big issue with the Iowa football team (and more generally with the Iowa student body) for whatever reason. Lots of students, including football players, in Iowa City are cited for PAULA, arrested for public intox, or arrested for DUI. I don't know the reason why, but it has been that way for decades.

I know the reason "why"- Ferentz has no control over his team. Your ridiculous distinctions between degrees of being busted by the cops is evidence that the fanbase thinks it is totally fine that Iowa's squad is a bunch of ne'erdowells. I can just see it, one of your players will get arrested for punching a cop and you'll be on here claiming he only took a swing at the cop.

There is no reason a Big Ten team should be tied for first in the "Fulmer Cup" rankings.

 

[Ski U Master]

There is no reason a Big Ten team should be tied for first in the "Fulmer Cup" rankings.

Illinois won the Cup in 2007

 

[MplsHawk]

OK Petey, lets review

I know the reason "why"- Ferentz has no control over his team. Your ridiculous distinctions between degrees of being busted by the cops is evidence that the fanbase thinks it is totally fine that Iowa's squad is a bunch of ne'erdowells. I can just see it, one of your players will get arrested for punching a cop and you'll be on here claiming he only took a swing at the cop.

There is no reason a Big Ten team should be tied for first in the "Fulmer Cup" rankings.

My ridiculous distinctions? YOU were the one who said "no, having a few beers is not in and of itself 'deplorable.'" A PAULA isn't even necessarily having a few beers. A PAULA is possession of alcohol under the legal age. The beer doesn't even have to be open, and it is a citation, not an arrestable offense. So which is it Petey? Having a few beers is no biggie, but having possession of a single beer (Ferentz CITATION in incident #1) is indistinguishable from public intoxication or DUI? You also said that "the Ferentz kid getting drunk in public AGAIN clearly indicates a severe problem." I merely pointed out the fact that you are wrong and his recent ARREST isn't him getting drunk AGAIN.

Where was your outrage when Fox 9 filmed a bunch of underage Gopher hockey players drinking at a local bar? That must have somehow been different than the capital punishment worthy crime of PAULA that James Ferentz and a half a dozen or so other Iowa football players have committed over the past few years.

Yes of course, making a distinction between a PAULA citation and a public intox arrest is JUST like some hypothetical distinction you think I will make between punching a cop and taking a swing at a cop--which would both be arrestable offenses genius. More likely, the next Hawkeye to get a speeding ticket will be condemned by you to be the the equivalent of vehicular manslaughter.

I have already acknowledged that there seems to be an alcohol problem with the Iowa student athletes. You apparently just don't have the reading comprehension abilities to understand what is in print in front of your eyes.

 

[grunkiejr]

MplsHawk--To me what is unique about this situation is that it is his second alcohol related offense. The Gophers hockey players got in trouble once and nobody on the team has gotten in trouble since. Regardless of the specific offense that Ferentz got in trouble for the first time it was alcohol related. A second offense in six months shows a lack of remorse for embarrasing himself, his team, and his father. I understand that cops in Minneapolis are different than cops in Iowa City or Duluth but lets be honest and say that the police report in this case does not indicate these players were minding their own business and the cops were out for them. One teammate broke the arm off at a parking ramp and then tried to pick a fight with a police officer that was in street clothes right in front of the police station. Ferentz then came around the corner yelling. I'm sorry, but that is just stupid and the players deserve to get in trouble.

I'm not one that can cast stones for underage drinking because I'm sure that I drank more than 200 times while I was under the age of 21. However, the trouble that I got into while underage drinking was limited to one incident statement in the dorms because my roommate left our door open with a bottle of alcohol on the table. It just takes a little common sense and self restraint to not get in to trouble.

I'm not saying that he should get kicked off the team because that is too strict of a punishment but he should definitely be disciplined by the team.

 

[MplsHawk]

grunkiejr

I can't say that I disagree with anything you wrote there. James Ferentz was incredibly stupid and disrespectful to his teammates and father by putting himself in this situation six months after the PAULA citation. Having been a college student that drank too much on a frequent basis, I admit that I have a bit of sympathy for college kids being college kids when it comes to drinking at campus bars. For that reason, I look at these PAULA citations and public intox arrests with perhaps too tolerant of an eye. I don't see a football program that has compromised its principles to win like Petey seems to believe, but rather one where ordinary young men keep making stupid mistakes when it comes to alcohol. Kirk Ferentz has dealt harshly with these alcohol related offenses (James suspended from team last fall for possession of one beer), and has kicked many of those accused of other types of crimes off the team entirely.

All that being said, James Ferentz knows the difficult position his father is in with the high number of police incidents. For him to be in this situation shows extreme disrespect for his father and for the team. I suspect his punishment will be more severe than one would ordinarily expect. If he has another incident of any type, I expect he will be removed from the team--and that will be a big waste of his talents.

On the Gopher hockey players, did they ever actually get in trouble even once? I saw the Fox 9 news report showing them in the bars, getting in free when there was a cover, drinking, etc., but I don't believe the police were ever involved. When the police didn't catch them the first time, why would you believe that them not being in trouble since means any behavior has changed? More likely, Fox 9 hasn't done another of their hard hitting (BS) investigative reports. For the record, I don't think the Gopher hockey players did anything that is so wrong, and it definitely wasn't news worthy. I was just pointing out the flaw in Petey's outrage.

 

[grunkiejr]

On the Gopher hockey players, did they ever actually get in trouble even once? I saw the Fox 9 news report showing them in the bars, getting in free when there was a cover, drinking, etc., but I don't believe the police were ever involved. When the police didn't catch them the first time, why would you believe that them not being in trouble since means any behavior has changed? More likely, Fox 9 hasn't done another of their hard hitting (BS) investigative reports. For the record, I don't think the Gopher hockey players did anything that is so wrong, and it definitely wasn't news worthy. I was just pointing out the flaw in Petey's outrage.

If I recall correctly the bar got in to some trouble and faced stepped up enforcement but the players didn't get in to any legal trouble. Lucia handled the situation internally and I believe some players were held out of games (it was a few years ago so I'm not 100% sure). I guess you get to the point of whether or not behavior has changed, you only hear about it if they get caught. All that we really know is that the players have been smart enough or lucky enough to not get in trouble since.

 

[Handsome Pete]

My ridiculous distinctions? YOU were the one who said "no, having a few beers is not in and of itself 'deplorable.'" A PAULA isn't even necessarily having a few beers. A PAULA is possession of alcohol under the legal age. The beer doesn't even have to be open, and it is a citation, not an arrestable offense. So which is it Petey? Having a few beers is no biggie, but having possession of a single beer (Ferentz CITATION in incident #1) is indistinguishable from public intoxication or DUI? You also said that "the Ferentz kid getting drunk in public AGAIN clearly indicates a severe problem." I merely pointed out the fact that you are wrong and his recent ARREST isn't him getting drunk AGAIN.

Where was your outrage when Fox 9 filmed a bunch of underage Gopher hockey players drinking at a local bar? That must have somehow been different than the capital punishment worthy crime of PAULA that James Ferentz and a half a dozen or so other Iowa football players have committed over the past few years.

Yes of course, making a distinction between a PAULA citation and a public intox arrest is JUST like some hypothetical distinction you think I will make between punching a cop and taking a swing at a cop--which would both be arrestable offenses genius. More likely, the next Hawkeye to get a speeding ticket will be condemned by you to be the the equivalent of vehicular manslaughter.

I have already acknowledged that there seems to be an alcohol problem with the Iowa student athletes. You apparently just don't have the reading comprehension abilities to understand what is in print in front of your eyes.

I think if you read my posts carefully, you would see I'm condemning the constant violation of law despite: (1) repeated prior violations; and (2) having everything to lose. A few mistakes here and there is forgivable. However, Iowa is in the danger zone and they still cannot stop their players, including the coach's son, from violating the law. THAT is the deplorable conduct.

I drank underage, you drank underage, and Grunkie drank underage. We were not scholarship athletes with our, and our coach's, and our school's good name on the line. Why can't these Iowa athletes get their stuff together?

I am actually a huge Ferentz fan. I am very disappointed in his inability to control his own son.

By way of a peace pipe, mplshawk, I love what iowa is doing on the recruiting trail early this '10 season. We need you guys to pull some Big 12 players up into Big Ten country.

 

[MplsHawk]

Peace pipe sounds good

especially since it is Easter tomorrow. We agree that Ferentz has a problem on his hands.

I think Iowa is poised for a recruiting class that fits their needs. The state of Iowa again has a bumper crop. Ironically, I think that the public intox arrests last weekend could hurt Ferentz's chances with the best recruit in the state. AJ Derby's brother was one of those arrested with James Ferentz. AJ may want to get away from the area all together given the negative publicity.

Peace.